Page 138 of Secret Shifters Next Door

He raised an eyebrow. “Well, there’s something else I think you’d enjoy more than a picnic, but this is a good start.”

I grabbed my food and swatted his shoulder. “Asshole. Accurate, but still an asshole.”

Steff laughed and pulled out his burger. He took a bite and asked, “How are your parents?”

“They’re good. I paid off all their bills and bought them a beach house in Texas. Right on the gulf in Galveston. I’m going to try to go visit them in the fall, maybe. They really like it.”

“I love the beach. I’d be happy to go with you, if you think I’d be welcome there.”

“Oh, you’d definitely be welcome. If there’s one thing my mother has held out hope for, it was that one day we’d get back together. I think she already had her heart set on you being her son-in-law back then. When we ended, she was almost as upset as I was.Almost. She’d be beyond ecstatic to see you again. My dad? That’s a different story. He’ll give you all kinds of hell.”

Steff took a drink from his soda and nodded. “I would be accepting of whatever he wants to dole out. I deserve it, and I’m sure it would make him feel better to vent after all these years. I can be a punching bag as long as we make up at the end.”

I was desperate to know about his family. I’d only ever known his uncle. Even when we’d been together in high school, he’d always changed the subject when I asked about his parents and had completely refused to talk about them. All I knew was that they were alive.

“Since we’re on the subject of parents, do you want to tell me about yours? I’ve always wanted to know why you lived with your uncle.”

Steff stuffed the last of his burger in his mouth as he stared at the creek. His expression was so heartbreaking I wanted to cry. “It’s not a happy story.”

“Most of them aren’t.”

Steff sighed and began his story. He told me everything—how the Alpha thing worked in shifter clans; about his brother and his jealousy of Steff; being bullied by his brother and friends. Then the accident where the boy was killed and the way his brother framed him for it. By the time he was done, I was ready to bite through steel. A red haze blurred my vision more than the tears that were forming in my eyes.

“How could your parents do that to you? Send you away like they didn’t love you or care?”

Steff threw a rock into the stream. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from them since. They cut me off—no birthday cards, no calls on Christmas… just nothing. Christ, I would have liked it if they’d even called me every now and then to tell me I was a worthless piece of shit. At least then I’d know they cared enough to chew me out.” He shook his head, shrugging a shoulder. “I’ve accepted it.”

A person shouldn’t have toacceptthat. I thought of my own parents and how devastated I would have been at Steff’s age if they’d given me away and stopped loving me. It would have broken me beyond belief. I honestly would have considered suicide. Steff was even stronger than I knew.

Steff glanced over at me. “I’ve got you now. That’s all I need.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes and grabbed him by the shirt. Steff yelped as I yanked him to me and kissed him aggressively. I was desperate to show him, in that one kiss, that he was worthy of love, that he deserved to have a family who cared about him. His surprise faded, and he wrapped his arms around me. A deep growl rumbled through his chest. A week ago, that sound would have terrified me, but now, it only excited me.

I pulled away and laughed. Steff blushed. “What can I say, you bring out the beast in me.”

He kissed me again, then we reluctantly pulled apart. I helped him gather up our things and take them back to the truck. As we loaded up and got back in the car, I glanced around at the meadow and creek. It had been a near-perfect day, and much-needed—especially with everything that lay ahead of us.

TWENTY-TWO

STEFF

I’d managed to spend every waking minute with April, and I still couldn’t get enough of her. I didn’t know if it was the mating bond or if it was simply the fact that I’d missed her for so long and was desperate to be around her again. Probably both. I was certain the spell played some part in pulling us closer together, but it was really only enhancing all the feelings I’d always had for her.

We were sitting on my back deck when April got a call from Harley. She wanted April to come over for a ladies’ night. Some wine, maybe a movie, a relaxing night in. After she got off the phone, she turned to look at me. “What do you think?”

“About you going over there tonight?”

She nodded. “I’d really like to unwind a little.”

April would be just as safe at Tate’s house as she was here. Tate was on high alert. The hunters were, of course, hunting both him and Harley. Still, my protective nature was screaming at me not to let her out of my sight. I had to suppress those urges, though. I didn’t want to end up being some overprotective douchebag who didn’t let his lady do anything. That wasn’t the type of person I was.

“When did Harley need an answer?”

April shrugged. “I told her I’d talk to you and get back to her.”

“All right, let me talk to Tate and make sure everything is good to go.”

I called Tate, who must have been waiting for my call. He answered after the first ring. “What’s up?”

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